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Boehner and Democrats Feud Over New Health Care Spot

By Bernie Becker August 3, 2009 1:09 pmAugust 3, 2009 1:09 pm

When the House recessed for August without voting on a health care plan, it was widely assumed that, as members returned to their districts, both Democrats and Republicans would beef up their lobbying efforts. It didn’t take long for that to start.

House Minority Leader John Boehner released a new Web advertisement poking fun at President Obama’s own lobbying efforts on Monday, interspersing the “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV” ads from some years ago with some of the president’s recent comments on the health care system.

“This is a lighthearted video,” Mr. Boehner said in a statement released with the ad, “but it underscores a serious point that Congressional Democrats are going to hear throughout August as they travel outside of Washington: Americans want lower health care costs – not a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care that increases costs and lets Washington bureaucrats make decisions that should be made by doctors and patients.”

Democrats quickly shot back at Mr. Boehner’s ad. “John Boehner isn’t an insurance company executive, but he sure plays one in the U.S. House of Representatives. That’s the only explanation for admittedly working to ‘kill’ health insurance reform while premiums for the average American family are rising three times faster than their wages, while small businesses are choosing between offering coverage and creating jobs, and when controlling runaway health care costs is necessary to get the economy fully back on track,” said Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee.

The Senate, which starts its recess at the end of this week, will also wait until the fall to vote on health care legislation, meaning this sort of back-and-forth will almost certainly continue over the next few weeks.

(For the record, the original “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on T.V.” advertisement was for Vicks Formula 44, a cough syrup. And the “doctor” is long-time soap opera actor Peter Bergman.)

Frank Luntz and the health industry have provided the script for opposing health care reform. Phrases like: “government takeover,” “rationed care” “delayed care is denied care” and “bureaucrats, not doctors, making medical decisions” are being used to scare the public.

Rep. Boehner — The forthcoming plan from Democratic leaders will make health care more expensive, limit treatments, ration care, and put bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions rather than patients and doctors.

Sen. McConnell — Americans need to realize that when someone says “government option,” what could really occur is a government takeover that soon could lead to government bureaucrats denying and delaying care, and telling Americans what kind of care they can have.

Sen. Kyl — Washington run healthcare would diminish Americans’ access to quality care, leading to denials, shortages and long delays for treatment.

These statements are distorting the debate. The health industry is pouring millions of our dollars into lobbying Congress to keep the status quo (i.e., large profits).

““This is a lighthearted video,” Mr. Boehner said in a statement released with the ad, “but it underscores a serious point that Congressional Democrats are going to hear throughout August as they travel outside of Washington: Americans want lower health care costs.”

They also would like an extra tap on the kitchen sink that dispenses cold beer and soda, a really good five-cent cigar and an end to erectile dysfunction ads that feature age 50+ couples sitting outdoors in adjoining bath tubs staring at the horizon.

None of which is going to be forthcoming from Tanboy Boehner and his wrecking crew–nothing they have come forward with is going to deliver anything beyond the status quo.

I suppose that is why the news of this idiotic little web commercial was issued in the for of a written statement–lest some member of the alarmingly supine press had the temerity to ask what serious, detailed, and CBO-scored proposal had the GOP offered the American public as their vehicle for achieving the lower health care cost Bonehair believes the American people want.

Clearly–the guy is convinced that the American public and the press are all too stupid to realize that a trillion dollars over a ten-year period–a.k.a a hundred billion per year–a.k.a. twenty billion dollars less that our on-going efforts in Iraq–is woefully insufficient to engineer a “government takeover” of health care.

He must think we’re all even bigger idiots than the tools who put together that spot–and tagged it with the priceless invitation to “GO PLEADER.com”

The Democrats’ problem is that all they have done is said they want to reform health care or, now reform health insurance. But the President and Democrats in Congress have not really defined exactly what they want to do or where they are headed. And since Democrats control Congress, the public is looking for the specifics, the legislative language. The Democrats have left it to the Republicans to define what health care reform means to the average American and the Republicans, honestly and dishonestly, are doing just that.

The Democrats need to clearly tell the American people what health insurance reform will mean for the average American, and address head on the Republican attacks. Because the Democrats control Congress and the legislative drafting process, they need to clearly explain to average American what the public option means, including both the benefits (cost, coverage) and the downsides (costs, rationing, unavailability of certain procedures to certain groups of people, like the elderly). If the Democrats do not address the attacks head on with clear and honest explanations, they risk allowing the Republican fear mongerers define the bills and the fears. As we know, those fears will kill any chances for single payer and the public option.

Certainly, the President can explain clearly and honestly what health reform will mean to the average American, how rationing will work, address the Republican fear mongers, and overcome those fears.

DeMint has already told the Republicans in Congress to
“KILL THE HEALTH BILL” and the Republicans are trying to do just that with their fear rhetoric and “doomsday” prophecy regarding this bill. Every one of them should be ashamed of themselves. They have the best coverage possible simply because they are elected to serve their
constituents but they do not want to do anything to help them – only want to stop the president’s efforts to make changes.

Far too many people are trying to guess what they are touching when they are blindfolded with only a few fingers touching the rear leg of an elephant…….. they have no way of putting that touch into the proper context to afford them the ability to know that they are, in fact, touching an elephant…. Taking a one-liner from your favorite Republican; or listening to a charismatic insurance industry exec on CNN; or reading a quote from a physician in your local newspaper is incredibly far too small a sample size of information from which to form an opinion about healthcare reform. Peter Drucker once said about leadership that the most complex leadership role across industries is the healthcare system / hospital CEO — due to the enormous complexities of both the Financing and the Delivery side of our American healthcare system.

People need to listen to all of the FACTS. Get your arms and your brain around those facts — put them all onto a page (pages!) of paper and then, and only then, start to consider our alternatives. Choosing sides in this issue because you are a Republican is idiotic. Choosing sides because you are liberal-minded is stupid. This issue is so much larger than all of that — and so incredibly complex — that it makes no sense to try to cram a bill down the throats of our legislators (much yet alone their constituents) in a few weeks. Far better would be to get it right — rather than to pass a bill out of expediency. Why the hurry?

Consuming 18+% of our GDP — when our nation’s healthcare quality / outcomes is NOT even in the Top Ten in the world is indeed a problem. The Congressional Budget Office projects Medicare / CMS to go bankrupt by 2015. What will your grandmother do for healthcare? What about your parents? What will YOU do for healthcare, if in fact Medicare and Medicaid go bankrupt?

And when those 46,000,000 “Americans” don’t have insurance, yet end up in my Emergency Department — or in my Neonatal Intensive Care unit – or in my open-heart surgery room — and rack up bills in excess of $200,000 at a time — due to a lack of preventive care, wellness, and no primary care physician — and this happens 20-40 times a month……., then how the hell do you expect your local hospital administrator to keep the doors open? Who is going to pay for that? If you want high quality physicians, nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians, radiolology technicians — and expensive MRI scanners and CT scanners and sophisticated Nuclear medicine and cancer treatment scanners, who is gonna pay for those uninsured bills?

Get educated, people. Read everything. Talk to people in the know. Watch television of educated, nonbiased people who understand the healthcare debate — and learn. This ain’t easy, folks. The solution won’t be simple. And, if you want to lower the costs of healthcare — I’m sorry — but we will have to RATION healthcare in this nation. There is no other way around it. You may not like the sound of it. You may not believe me, now. But when you get your arms and mind around this issue; then you will come to the same conclusion. That, and we need to stop physicians from owning their own surgery centers, imaging centers, hospitals, and medical equipment in their offices — they Over-Utilize the shit out of that stuff; and they get paid “fee-for-service” for every test they order. That is flat wrong.

The video reminded me that Obama really is a celebrity President. I’m glad to see his popularity dropping as people realize he actually wants to impose his Marxist socialist views on the rest of us. Like the protestors say in that video: “Just Say No!”

Let me think, the Post Office? No. Medicare? No. Social Security? No. Medicaid? No. Native American health care? No. There must be one program congress has run successfully? Oh yeah, there own gold plated health care boondoggle that you and I pay for.

I have access to Indian health care, and it is absolutely terrible, and rationed.

When it comes to health care, I despair at the stupidity of the American public and its susceptibility to outright lies and distortions that may yet again cause it to screw itself (yes, I know I must sound arrogant, but I just happen to know a lot about health care, in particular, and public policy, in general).

The current system is a failed system which, relative to other developed nations, does not deliver quality to care based on broad range of measures, costs a fortune and, unless its costs can be contained, will cause serious long-term economic decline for our nation.

Fellow Americans. get smart! Understand that radical change is necessary. Stop listening to the stupidity that is being fed to you. Don’t commit another “Boehner.”

Mr. Boehner is keeping the faith so far as the far right is concerned but as far as the country is concerned he’s part of the health care problem that’s going to bankrupt us in about ten years.

The Conservatives don’t provide an alternate plan because they think that the current system can be perpertuated indefinitely. They think that the marketplace will find a solution if it is left alone — a solution which will make them richer than any government plan.

Who knows? They may be right. Just to be save, don’t get sick or be responsible for anyone who does and you’ll be okay.

It is time for President Obama to take the case to the American people and not allow the Rovian style GOP shape the debate and define the program. This is too important for silly commercials and distortions.

Would someone explain to me how it came to be that we all have to have auto and home insurance? I’ve read other posts saying that we cannot be forced to buy a product, i.e. health insurance. Can’t drive a car or buy a home without insurance.

I’ve said it before. Let’s do nothing (tone of irony begins here). Let’s just wait until things get so bad – hospitals closing, people dying from preventable diseases, costs so outrageous insurance means nothing – then we’ll be forced to get off our butts (and pull our heads out of them at the same time) and do something.

Until then, why stop using people’s lives as a political game of revenge? Whatever, I’ve got insurance. Play on.

After over 30 years working in the trenches I agree that we must fix our complex and fragmented healthcare system. I just wish the President and his advisors would realize that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is just one more out of control insurance company oblvious to the point of arrogance in how they treat Medicare/Medicaid patients and helathcare providers.

What should we do witht the 45 million people who do have heath insurance?
What do we do with the insured who need health insurance to pay for health care but get cut out by their private insurer? Or their policy gets cancelled?
What do we do for hospitals that take care of people with no insurance who show up and are required to treat the uninsured?
Just a few questions that I would like answered before you parrot another meaningless criticism of a president who is trying to deal with a real issue that faces our people.

How about Katie G. I would accept answers to these questions from her as well.

Only restriction about answering is that you can not use the slippery slope to socialism in your answer.

The obvious answer is to respond in equivalent style but with substance. Boehner is relying on strategies which use the new media. To win, the Center and Left must respond using the same mechanism, but win using real facts. Fortunately for those favoring reform, facts have a liberal bias in this case. (apologies to the Report)

The last week has been fascinating in defining the new rhetoric and the new debate. The recent decision by Fox News to relentlessly flog the “story” that the top 1% now pay as much as the bottom 95% indicates a new strategy. The focus on the growth of taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans neglects to mention the even larger growth of income for the wealthiest.

Health care as redistribution of wealth is a favored shibboleth of the right, yet misses the irony of this re-branding. The August 1st Economist helped put it in perspective by stating “Many experts think capping or ending the tax advantage enjoyed by employer-provided health cover is a vital reform. Not only could it raise up to $250 billion a year but it would also fix some perverse incentives.” It would also continue the present system of redistribution that the very wealthy enjoy. The public needs to be educated in the specifics of how much profit is removed from the health system each year, without drowning in details. This is a tough sell.

Killing the public option and taxing benefits are some of the obvious goals for “conservatives” (real conservatives would understand that security for the nation relies on solving the unbridled growth of profits). For profit insurance allows the redistribution of wealth from the many to the few. New taxes levied on the benefits of workers who enjoy good current health care would help enforce an even more regressive code than the present system which favors those who are taxed primarily through capital gains vs. the income tax.

Reconciliation is inevitable. The moderates and left need to accept the need to move forward at a forceful yet measured pace. A public plan is a must and taxing benefits is a non starter for a President who claimed he wouldn’t raise taxes on those making less than 250k. Health care is now dependent on the ability to show that insurance, big pharma, the med establishment and litigators are facing their Waterloo and are not acting in the best interests of the public.

President Obama needs to attack the gang of six. They are doing their best to preserve the status quo.
If Baucus, Snowe, Enzi, Grassley, Bingaman, and Conrad have their way even incremental progress will be difficult. He must stump vigorously for the public option (despite whining from Emanuel) and refuse to tax benefits. Weiner might be right. Force the vote and go Single Payer.

@ TR you said:
It’s a funny video…and youtube viewers seem to agree.
It received a 4.5 stars. — TR

I guess that’s what TR wants from legislators – when facts can’t support your position, obfuscate, mock, set straw men, engage in ad hominem, and then change the subject. Funny is not what we need in this debate. Sober, serious and well informed debate is the correct path. If health reform doesn’t pass this time, it will eventually, as the truth has a habit of eventually leaking out.

It could be viewed as ‘lighthearted’ only if the problem it is poking fun at was not so serious and acute for so many ‘real’ Americans.

This insurance company propaganda is cynical and misleading and worst of all- it is so out of date!

Just who is Peter Bergman anyway, I must be too young to get the joke!

Let’s not even raise the issue of copyright infringement!

It just goes to show you that the GOP lives in the past and can’t come up with a viable plan of it’s own that can address the problems of the uninsured and the spiraling out of control healthcare costs.

The GOP does not represent the welfare of real average Americans, they are simply representing their most favored interests, the insurance companies in a most cynical way.

This commercial propaganda along with the coordinated disruption of town hall meetings …

…points to GOP tactics that are meant to mislead and misinform. Ads and disruptive actions like these are meant to stifle debate, raise fear and reduce public awareness- just the prescription for our terminally ill democracy.

The rising health care costs in America isn’t for the government to tamper with, in the means of implimenting a ‘government option.’ It’s common sense that the majority of the people will chose the goverment option, and soon we will have no other option for our insurance. What the government needs to do is put a cap on the prices of insurance, as well as the charges from medical facilities. If they can reach an agreement there and stop.. giving into the lobyists then, we can have a good health care system and not one where people will have to wait forevre to get a heart transplant that they NEED within a month, nor one where the citizens of the US shoulder thousands in dollars in extra taxes each month. We are already far in debt and this plan, will not help that situation.

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